It's time to pick fruit at Capitol Reef

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Though Capitol Reef National Park is primarily a scenic area, the National Park Service has preserved some historic structures and orchards to celebrate the park's pioneer heritage.

According to the park service, early settlers planted the orchards as a cash crop and for subsistence. The historic orchards that consist of approximately 3,100 trees including cherry, apricot, peach, pear, apple, plum, mulberry and walnut are listed on the National Historic Places.

What makes this fun for visitors is that they are invited to harvest fresh fruit from the trees. While the cherry harvest is all but over, now is a great time to harvest apricots. Peaches will be available August 4 through September 8, pears from August 7 through September 8 and Apples from September 4 through October 17.

I just drove through the area on the July 4th weekend and the trees were filled with apricots. Visitors were busily picking them.

Though the orchards are open for walking, visitors can not pick fruit until the orchard is posted as open for picking. Visitors can sample ripe fruit in any unlocked orchard. Fruit taken from the orchards must be paid for. There is a self-pay station with scales, plastic bags and signs listing fruit places near the entrance of orchards open for fruit harvest.

Ladders and hand-held fruit pickers are provided to aid in picking. Tree climbing is prohibited.

For current information and harvest times, call the Capitol Reef National Park information line at 435-425-3791. Press #1 for visitor information and then press #5 for the fruit hotline.